Co-Working Trends We’re Seeing in the Workplace
The number of co-working spaces has increased considerably in recent years across Australia and abroad. The trend evolved alongside the start-up boom, offering an affordable office solution for growing start-ups and independent workers and has since grown to become an attractive solution for SMEs and large corporations.
Alongside national co-working favourite such as Fishburners and Flux, the arrival of international co-working brands such as WeWork have helped to popularise the concept amongst Australian businesses. Many businesses are now looking at co-working arrangements as an effective way to provide employees with flexible, creative and collaborative workplaces.
6 Trends To Watch…
ONE: Growing space options
Co-working environments offer more than simply ‘an office or a desk’ in a shared space, there are a growing number of independent and collaborative work spaces on offer. These include dedicated desks (a specifically allocated desk), hot desks (unreserved desk), office spaces, conference rooms, phone booths, common areas and more.
TWO: Increasing corporate adoption
Traditionally co-working arrangements have been attractive to work-at-home professionals, independent contractors or freelancers, but we now seeing an influx of corporates using co-working arrangements as a way to offer their employees flexible work arrangements. Many corporates are also using co-working spaces for creative spaces for special teams.
THREE: Connectivity & Inclusion
By their very nature, co-working hubs exist to promote a culture of inclusion and connectivity. Successful co-working spaces create an inclusive atmosphere that facilitates knowledge exchange and collaboration among all members. The floor plan and spatial design play a fundamental role here, ensuring functional adjacencies and workflows allow users to naturally interact, connect and exchange knowledge.
FOUR: Multiple locations
Many co-working providers are expanding their operations to multiple locations, across the nation and even internationally. We have seen co-working giants such as WeWork expand rapidly within individual cities and internationally, offering occupants choice and variety beyond expectations. Many national smaller providers are also stepping up to the plate offering membership subscriptions to allow clients to access different sites and accommodate flexible work arrangements.
FIVE: New services
The amenities available at different co-working spaces range from free wifi access to stocked kitchen facilities to shared staff receptionist services. Many co-working providers are now experimenting with ancillary offerings including concierge services and administrative support, as well as innovative workplace design arrangements offering maximum flexibility to occupants.
SIX: Greater flexibility
Flexibility is a core priority when it comes to co-working arrangements. We are seeing co-working spaces tweak their space layouts and accessibility to accommodate the growing needs of their members. The peak hours of operation generally reside around 10am-4pm, so many co-working providers are looking to enhance the use of their space offering function and event space after hours.
The IA Design team have worked with renowned Australian co-working providers Fishburners and Flux to design local locations. The Fishburners co-working space was described as “a thriving innovation hub in the heart of the Brisbane CBD” and the Flux co-working space was recognised as one of “Perth’s ground-breaking spaces in the CBD”.
